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About (Late) Last Night: Why Zach Braff is on Team Coco [Video]

May 11, 2011 | 7:49
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Last year's vicious late-night wars have become a permanent part of Conan O'Brien's brand identity. He's the geeky underdog shamefully mistreated by the out-of-touch suits at NBC -- and betrayed by his former colleague, Jay Leno. For better or worse, it's an image O'Brien has embraced. Even the name of his website -- TeamCoco.com -- has a partisan, almost cultish quality to it.

But it turns out "Team Coco" has connotations other than "Jay Leno is lame." On Tuesday, Zach Braff stepped in at the last minute to replace scheduled guest Jennifer Lopez. (The "American Idol" judge had canceled at the last minute; maybe she's on Team Leno?). He was eager to share some news with O'Brien.

"In Creole -- and I know this because I had a Haitian babysitter when I was growing up -- Coco is slang for 'vagina,'" he said. "I happen to know every time you say 'Team Coco,' for Haitians, you're saying 'Team Vagina.'"

"This may explain a huge spike in my popularity," O'Brien joked. "In Haiti, things have gone through the roof."

Sidekick Andy Richter deadpanned, "I'm totally on Team Coco."

Leno might have "The Tonight Show" spotlight, but until we find out that his last name means something gynecological in some foreign tongue, O'Brien's at least got one small advantage.